A Late Night Duel

Will Borges be able to bounce back or does Majchrzak keep rolling?

Majchrzak played his opening match here against Jarry, whom he defeated 7-6, 6-4. He was down 5-2 in the TB but managed to claw his way back nicely with some clutch play. He was struggling a bit in the first set (adapting to new conditions), but I liked his level throughout the match. Jarry was unable to touch his first serve, and Majchrzak was able to at least get a look at some first serves and did very well to punish the second serves. Borges appears to have lost his momentum after being eliminated in the first match against Misolic while defending his title in Båstad. A huge struggle against Bagnis, followed by straight-set losses to Ruud and Rinderknech (not as bad). Ruud and Rinderknech on fast hardcourts are tough matchups for Borges, but the manner of the defeats, along with the Bagnis struggle, are enough to raise some concerns.

Now, the matchup against Majchrzak should suit him better. He won't have to deal with huge forehands like against Ruud and Rinderknech, so that's good for him (but beware of Majchrzak's BH instead) ;) They'll be playing late, so conditions will be considerably slower. Borges tends to be tough to beat in those kinds of matches; he has a knack for making many comebacks despite slow starts. The slower conditions could prove troublesome for Borges, especially with a lack of form. If he is unable to hang in rallies with Majchrzak, he could start pressing a bit too hard, and that's something Majchrzak is very good at taking advantage of. I mentioned in my earlier preview against Jarry that I quite like Majchrzak, and I'm not sure Borges is a lot better than him currently... let's check the odds!